Amateur Performance Halter Mares

Ask Frank Berris how he feels about his American Quarter Horse mare.

When you ask Frank Berris how he feels about his mare, CK Mardi Gras, he’ll probably say, “I love this mare! This is my all-time favorite mare!”

That’s what he told the Journal in his Winning Run interview fresh out of the Jim Norick Arena at the 2012 AQHA World Championship Show. He just led the 6-year-old mare to the 2012 amateur performance halter mares world championship. She won the reserve in the open in 2011, and the amateur world championship in 2010.

“When I won the world with her two years ago when I first bought her, it was the thrill of a lifetime there,” he said. “I didn’t think I could ever top it, but I did today! I love that mare.”

A 2006 chestnut mare by CK Kid and out of Tardee Cool Troubley by Azzari, CK Mardi Gras was bred by Reynaldo Ramirez of Wylie, Texas.

“I’m going to win the high-point with her this year in both the amateur and open performance halter mares,” he added. “We’ll be going to Houston at (the 2013 AQHA Convention) and getting a couple of buckles and trophies for that.”

Frank credits a lot of the mare’s success to her handling between AQHA Professional Horsemen Joey Shortino of Lutz, Florida, and Ross Roark of Monahans, Texas, and Jay Holmes of Sarasota, Florida: “We have a great team.”

“She’s awesome (in the pen), she is such a showy mare,” Frank said. “And she’s got her points in roping (with Jay Holmes). Now with AQHA rules you have to qualify every year so we got her qualified again. We got here and we won!”

Frank still has a busy World Show ahead of him. He shows Boys N Toys in the 2-year-old geldings November 7 and Obviously OT on November 8 in amateur 3-year-old geldings. Ross Roark showed Boys N Toys to the 2012 (All American Quarter Horse) Congress grand championship. Obviously OT was the 2011 open and amateur world champion 2-year-old gelding.

“I’m an inner-city Detroit boy,” Frank said, on how he got into Quarter Horses. “Before I met my wife – we’ve been married 42 years – when I met her, I didn’t even know what a horse was. I grew up in Detroit and she’s a farm girl. I love her; she’s supported me. She shows and does really well and does the western pleasure and the hunt seat and we have a great time. Now I’ve just got to get my grandkids involved in this.”

He added, on why he shows horses: “There’s nothing like it in the world. I love AQHA; I support it all the time. These are my friends; this is our life. We could do anything we want in the world, but we love coming to the World Show and the Congress – the two horse shows we live for. We love to show horses with our friends.”